Marcie Roth, Executive Director/CEO of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA)recently provided an update on the Brian Joseph McCloskey Fund Recipients.

Each individual’s needs are complicated and providing assistance has not been straightforward. Our staff has worked carefully to pursue all alternatives to access other funds and maximize the resources we have to serve the greatest number of individuals. Many of the needs are still undetermined, due to unstable medical conditions resulting from poor care after the hurricanes, uncertainties in their previous communities and pending decisions about rebuilding. We have negotiated a discount with a Durable Medical Equipment vendor to provide equipment that is not available via Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance, and in some cases we are negotiating directly with manufacturers for donations or reductions in prices.

As you can imagine, every need has a process associated with meeting that need, so progress is slow, but steady.

The recipients have been truly grateful for your generosity and we hope to be able to share pictures in the future to further introduce them to you.  Thank you so much for your generosity. We are honored to be assisting people in Brian’s memory. His name is associated with a truly noble effort. We are making a very big difference for people who truly have no one else to turn to.

Best Regards,

Marcie

SB, Mobile, AL:

S was injured at the C-5-8 levels for eleven years at the time of Hurricane Katrina. She lived with family in a home that was fully paid for but lost that home, all furnishings and medical equipment in Katrina. Subsequently, she developed serious medical conditions due to insufficient care and was placed in a nursing home. FEMA has yet to provide an adequate housing alternative for her. She did not have flood insurance.

Now:

Coordination by NSCIA staff has helped her move from a temporary long term care facility that was exacerbating her declining health to one closer to the University of Alabama at Birmingham where better treatment of her serious medical conditions can be addressed. She will need additional follow up care through UAB in the future. Estimates are being compiled for her durable medical equipment and housing needs so that we may assist her with those needs when she becomes medically stable.

ST, Biloxi, MS:

S is 85 years old and was injured 15 years ago at the C-7 level in an accident. He and his wife owned their home. They were literally flooded out of their home and saved by a US Coast Guard boat. The house needs complete remodeling. All furnishings and his adapted truck were lost.

Now:

He and his wife are staying with their daughter nearby while S is having his home remodeled. NSCIA, thru the McCloskey Fund, has funded significant home repair. He has hopes of being back in his home within one month. Immediate assistance allowed him to repair his bathroom so he could come home each day and resume his independence with self-care even though the rest of the house is still not ready.

NSCIA staff has located an adapted van for that will make his transportation much easier than it had been before the flood. It will be shipped to him next week.

JH, New Orleans, LA:

J is 30 years old and was injured 14 years ago at the C 5/6 level. Before the storm he owned his own home in New Orleans and a van for transportation. He lost his home including all contents, his van, his wheelchair and other medical equipment when he was evacuated.

Now:

J and his Mom are now in an apartment in Plano, Texas and putting their lives back together. Both are computer savvy and J has just received a new computer with printer, provided by NSCIA McCloskey funds, so that he can once again reach out to the world. They have received a replacement adapted van so transportation is no longer a problem. His destroyed wheelchair will be provided if his insurer refuses, but we are still trying to get this provided. He has been provided with an acceptable loaner chair for now. He needs additional replacement durable medical equipment, and negotiation with vendors is currently underway. We have assisted him in getting an engineering inspection of his home so he can determine if he should rebuild or purchase elsewhere. This is still not determined.

JB, Harvey, LA:

J is 37 years old and spinal cord injured for 18 years at the C 5/6 level. His adapted van was heavily damaged by wind driven rain during the hurricane. This is his only means of transportation to work.

Now:

Initially, staff attempted to have his existing van repaired at two separate repair shops. It was determined that repair was not feasible and that the vehicle’s wiring system was so damaged that it was a safety hazard.  Focus has now shifted to the purchase of a used replacement van. The type, style and necessary adaptations have been identified and this transaction will be completed in two weeks.

TK, Baltimore, MD:

Displaced from her apartment in the Gulf region, she first needed to stay in a motel when she was evacuated to Baltimore, MD. Her relative’s residence there was inaccessible. She is 26 years old and was spinal cord injured 1 ½ years ago. She lost nearly everything to the hurricane.

Now:

T is now in an accessible apartment in Baltimore with her young son. Six months rent has been provided and furniture purchased. Additional needs are under review.

JA, North Dakota:

JM was also displaced from her apartment in the Gulf region and lost all of her furnishings and belongings. She is 44 years old and has a three year old SCI at the C 4-6 level.

Now:

She first moved to Minnesota to be near relatives and is now transitioning to a home of her own in North Dakota with assistance from the NSCIA McCloskey Fund. Funding provided as payment for used furniture that she had arranged to purchase. Moving truck costs for that furniture as well as items from another location provided. Gift cards were provided to her for replacement of belongings lost. Part of what she needed was winter clothing suitable for the North Dakota climate.

DH, Nursing Home:

DH was displaced from his apartment and was eventually evacuated from the Superdome by ambulance. His $20K power chair was left behind and currently he has none. He is 58 years old and has been quadriplegic for 16 years.

Now:

 He has been working on Medicaid replacement of his power chair and has searched all agencies without success for his chair left behind at the Dome. He has received a special mattress. An accessible apartment should be available soon for him. Funds to assist with rent, replacement of household items and possibly a new wheelchair will be provided once full assessment of Medicaid and other resources is complete.

DT, Chicago:

D is quadriplegic. He was evacuated to Chicago. He knew no one and had nothing. Local independent living staff learned that he was at the airport awaiting transfer to a nursing home (he was previously independent). He was welcomed into the home of a staff person from the independent living center and they attempted to meet all of his needs.

Now:  

Through the McCloskey Fund, D is being provided with needed durable medical equipment, daily nursing care to allow him to resume his independence and financial assistance for rent and home furnishings.

CT, Northern LA:

C is a C4-5 quad who worked in a senior role in New Orleans. He lost everything, his home was destroyed and his homeowners and flood insurance have barely covered minimal home replacement costs. He has had many medical problems as a direct result of inadequate housing and care. His ability to resume employment has also been compromised due to being located 6 hours away from his employer.

Now:  

C is trying to determine if his home can be repaired, and if his neighborhood will be livable. He is being offered financial assistance to either rebuild or relocate.

SD, Charlotte, North Carolina:

SD had a C2 SCI 10 years ago.  After the hurricane, she was relocated from New Orleans to North Carolina with her three children.  

Now:  

When we learned that the only holiday gifts she had for her children were used coats, S was provided immediate assistance for holiday purchases for her children. She is also being provided with rental assistance and additional needs. Assessment of her current unmet needs continues.